Week 27 of the LA Kings Prospect Tracker brings a tale of two extremes. In the CHL, three prospects are on the brink of elimination — Carter George and the Soo, Jimmy Lombardi and Flint, and Vojtech Cihar and Kelowna are all down 0-3 in their respective series. On the other side, Jared Woolley and Kitchener are rolling, one win away from advancing to the OHL’s Western Conference Final. If the sweeps hold, Woolley will be the last Kings prospect standing in the CHL playoffs. Meanwhile, at the Frozen Four, Denver captured the national championship with three Kings prospects playing key roles. Kristian Epperson delivered again on the biggest stage, assisting on the tying goal and the double-overtime winner in the semifinal before setting up another crucial goal in the final. Brendan McMorrow also contributed an assist and James Reeder dominated in ice time, as the Pioneers secured their third title in five years.
Housekeeping note: Once a prospect’s season has concluded and their final report has been filed, they will no longer be featured in this year’s Prospect Tracker and will instead be listed here. Players no longer featured: Henry Brzustewicz (Ontario Reign), Jan Chovan (Sudbury Wolves), Ryan Conmy (Boston College), Caeden Herrington (Vermont), Will Sharpe (Vancouver Giants), Hampton Slukynsky (Western Michigan), Jack Sparkes (Clarkson), and Petteri Rimpinen (Kiekko-Espoo).
The following reports cover games played through the end of day Tuesday, April 14th.
Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Carter George, Soo Greyhounds, Goalie (57th overall in 2024)
2025-26 Stats: 2.66 GAA, .907 SV%, 5 SO, 1 goal, 2 assists, 27 wins in 54 games played
George and the Soo have fallen into a 0-3 series hole against Kitchener with losses of 3-1, 8-5, and 4-3. He allowed six goals in Game 2’s high-scoring affair, and through three games in the second round, has posted a .858 save percentage and 4.07 goals-against average. Those numbers are more a reflection of the Soo’s defensive struggles than any drop in the quality of George’s play. The week wasn’t all bad. George was named a finalist for the Jim Rutherford Trophy — awarded to the OHL’s top goaltender — for the second year in a row.
Facing elimination, the Soo will need four straight wins to advance, a feat only accomplished four times in OHL history. There is only a small chance of success and a near certainty of elimination, but George has shown all year he can rise to the occasion when called upon. If anyone can will a team back from the brink, it’s him.
George got the pad on it
Carter George sprawled out with his pad to make this big stop for the @OHLHoundPower and earn @RealCdnSS Save of the Night honours!#OHLPlayoffs | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/4s7g4nQsw9
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 11, 2026
Jimmy Lombardi, Flint Firebirds, Center (125th overall in 2025)
2025-26 Stats: 40 goals, 42 assists, plus-35, 73 PIM in 72 games played
After steamrolling Owen Sound in the first round, Lombardi and the Firebirds have hit a wall against Windsor in the OHL conference semifinals. They find themselves down 0-3, though the series has been closer than the record suggests with scores of 4-2, 6-5, and 2-1. Lombardi picked up two assists in Game 2, including one on a goal that started with Lombardi getting flattened in the slot, kicking the puck to a teammate on his way down, and watching Nathan Aspinall finish the play. Flint will need to up their game and get four straight wins to advance — but former Kings prospect Liam Greentree and the Spitfires are blocking their path.
Jared Woolley, Kitchener Rangers, LH Defenseman (164th overall in 2024)
2025-26 Stats: 12 goals, 24 assists, plus-34, 95 PIM in 73 games played
After two scoreless weeks, Woolley has found the scoresheet three times in the second round. He picked up a secondary assist on the game-winning goal and two more on empty-net insurance markers, as Kitchener took a 3-0 series lead. The defining moment of his week, however, won’t show up on the scoresheet at all: a Soo player got lodged under the Kitchener goalie, and Woolley grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him out. If you’re looking for a metaphor for what Woolley brings to a hockey team, that might be it.
Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vojtech Cihar, Kelowna Rockets, Forward (59th overall in 2025)
2025-26 WHL Stats: 18 goals, 23 assists, plus-23, 20 PIM in 38 games played
After leading the WHL in scoring through the first round, Cihar has been held pointless through three games as Kelowna finds themselves down 0-3 against top-ranked Everett, with losses of 4-1, 4-2, and 4-1. It’s not just Cihar who has been shut down. His linemate Tij Iginla, who also posted 10 points in the first round, has been equally silenced. For Kelowna to have any chance, both will need to bounce back and find the magic that made them the most dangerous duo in the WHL last round. Only three teams in league history have come back from a three-game deficit — with one of them being Kelowna themselves in 2013. Can lightning strike twice for the Rockets? For Cihar’s sake, we hope so.
COLLEGE HOCKEY (NCAA)
Kristian Epperson, Univ. of Denver, Left Wing (88th overall in 2025)
2025-26 Stats: 11 goals, 11 assists, plus-11, 14 PIM in 40 games played
Epperson seems to be a player who plays his best on the biggest stages. Against top-ranked Michigan in the Frozen Four semifinal, he assisted on the tying goal late in the third period and then delivered an unreal cross-slot pass for the game-winner in double overtime, helping Denver win 4-3. He followed that up in the national championship against Wisconsin, setting up the tying goal with an assist on a one-timer where the rebound got buried. Without that goal, Denver doesn’t get the chance to take a 2-1 lead and secure their third title in five years.
The arc of his season is worthy of its own movie. A freshman who missed two weeks with illness, returned as the 13th forward, scored the game-winner in the NCHC championship, then followed it up by helping his team win a national championship. It’s a story that shows nothing can stop him from taking advantage of every opportunity he’s given. He finishes his season with 11 goals, 11 assists, a pair of rings, and a bright future ahead.
Brendan McMorrow, Univ. of Denver, Left Wing (196th overall in 2025)
2025-26 Stats: 3 goals, 8 assists, plus-11, 6 PIM in 27 games played
McMorrow also closed out his freshman year as a national champion, contributing an assist on the opening goal of the Frozen Four semifinal against Michigan as Denver won 4-3 in double overtime before taking down Wisconsin in the final. His stat line for the season may be modest, with only three goals and eight assists in 27 games, but raw numbers undersell what he brings to the table. He’s a high-motor player with a relentless forecheck and defensive reliability. The scoring will come, but the foundation is already there.
James Reeder, Univ. of Denver, Right Wing (198th overall in 2024)
2025-26 Stats: 10 goals, 23 assists, plus-18, 4 PIM in 43 games played
Reeder didn’t find the scoresheet in either Frozen Four game, but the ice time tells the real story. He played the second-most minutes of any Denver forward in the semifinal against Michigan and led all forwards in the final against Wisconsin — two minutes and 13 seconds more than the next man up. For a seventh-round pick to be trusted with that kind of responsibility on a national championship team, well, it speaks for itself. Reeder is a special player, and one to keep an eye on.
Lead photo of Epperson by by Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos
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